4 NFL Rule Changes for 2013

The tuck rule is history.

Basically, if a quarterback starts to bring the football back toward his body while trying to throw, it will be ruled a fumble instead of an incomplete pass.

Why is this significant? Well, in a 2001 playoff game, Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, benefitted from the tuck rule when a ball that most of the viewing fans assumed to be a fumble was ruled an incomplete pass. The Patriots won the game.

Many fans thought the Oakland Raiders, the Patriots' opponent, were robbed of a chance to go to the Super Bowl, entirely thanks to the tuck rule.